The United Kingdom is one of the largest world economies and it benefits from a strong services sector. It is an exceptional place to live in, from a cultural diversity point of view, because of its strong protection of working rights and also due to its conservation of nature and historical identity.
With regards to healthcare, the National Health Service (NHS) offers numerous advantages not common in other parts of the world.
Resident On Call’s in the NHS work as a turn based system with a day shift and a night shift. These shifts last a maximum of 13 hours and must be separated by a minimum of 11 hours of rest. The maximum number of such shifts in a row is 4, which must be followed by 48 hours of rest.
You don’t need to be a specialist to work in a specialty department and there are a wide range of possibilities. Join a highly tecnological Neuro ICU or become an expedition doctor while completing your specialty? It can be done!
If flexible working is what you are looking for, part time working and locum working are ingrained in the system and allow a healthy work – life balance.
From £30.000 yearly as a Foundation Year 1, £45.000 as a Core Trainee or £60.000 as a Specialty Trainee.
Consultants with experience earn from £85.000 to £140.000.
The weekly base working hours are 40 and additional paid work can be done if desired.
Extra hours are paid at rates of between £28 and £250 pero hour depending on seniority and location.
The so called “Study budget” is included with all work posts and offers an average of £1000 yearly to spend on courses, conferences and other professional development activities. This exists in parallel to study days, a fixed amount of leave days separate from annual leave, that can be used for professional development.
The NHS offers 27 days of annual leave which increase to 32 days a year once you have been employed for 5 years within the NHS. This does not include the additional 8 bank holidays which always occur on weekdays. If you happen to work on a bank holiday you will be given an extra day of annual leave.
Research and Teaching are key elements in the NHS and there are many opportunities to become involved in them.
There are Academic posts that mix research or teaching activities together with clinical work. It is also possible to carry out part time research or teaching jobs in parallel with a full or part time clinical job.
The NHS protects you in case of illness, maternity/paternity or other adverse life events. You will continue to perceive your salary while you recover or nurse your offspring. Following a period of leave it is common to carry out a phased return to facilitate your return to work.
Infectious diseases, Emergency Medicine, Palliative Care are examples of specialties which are oficially recognised in the UK and have specific formative pathways.
Jobs are offered with yearly or even indefinite contracts.